is a Japanese multinational electronics manufacturing corporation headquartered in

Shibuya is a Special wards of Tokyo, special ward in Tokyo, Japan. A major commercial center, Shibuya houses one of the busiest railway stations in the world, Shibuya Station. As of January 1, 2024, Shibuya Ward has an estimated population of 230,60 ...

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

, Japan. Its products include calculators,

mobile phone A mobile phone or cell phone is a portable telephone that allows users to make and receive calls over a radio frequency link while moving within a designated telephone service area, unlike fixed-location phones ( landline phones). This rad ...

digital camera A digital camera, also called a digicam, is a camera that captures photographs in Digital data storage, digital memory. Most cameras produced today are digital, largely replacing those that capture images on photographic film or film stock. Dig ...

electronic musical instrument An electronic musical instrument or electrophone is a musical instrument that produces sound using electronics, electronic circuitry. Such an instrument sounds by outputting an electrical, electronic or digital audio signal that ultimately is ...

s, and analogue and digital watches. It was founded in 1946, and in 1957 introduced the first entirely compact electronic calculator. It was an early digital camera innovator, and during the 1980s and 1990s, the company developed numerous affordable home electronic keyboards for musicians along with introducing the first mass-produced digital watches.

History

Casio was established as Kashio Seisakujo in April 1946 by (1917–1993), an

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...

specializing in fabrication technology. Kashio's first major product was the yubiwa pipe, a finger ring that would hold a

cigarette A cigarette is a narrow cylinder containing a combustible material, typically tobacco, that is rolled into Rolling paper, thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end, causing it to smolder; the resulting smoke is orally inhale ...

, allowing the wearer to

smoke Smoke is an aerosol (a suspension of airborne particulates and gases) emitted when a material undergoes combustion or pyrolysis, together with the quantity of air that is entrained or otherwise mixed into the mass. It is commonly an unwante ...

the cigarette down to its nub while also leaving the wearer's hands free. Japan was impoverished immediately following

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, so cigarettes were valuable, and the invention was a success. After seeing the electric calculators at the first Business Show in Ginza, Tokyo in 1949, Kashio and his younger brothers (Toshio, Kazuo, and Yukio) used their profits from the yubiwa pipe to develop their calculators. Most of the calculators at that time worked using gears and could be operated by hand using a crank or using a motor (see adding machine). Toshio possessed some knowledge of electronics and set out to make a calculator using solenoids. After dozens of prototypes were tested, the desk-sized calculator was finished in 1954 and was Japan's first electro-mechanical calculator. One of the central and more important innovations of the calculator was its adoption of the 10-key number pad; at that time other calculators were using a "full keypad", which meant that each place in the number (1s, 10s, 100s, etc. ...) had nine keys. Another distinguishing innovation was the use of a single display window instead of the three display windows (one for each argument and one for the answer) used in other calculators. Casio Computer Co., Ltd. was formed in June 1957. That year, Casio released the Model 14-A, sold for 485,000 yen, the first all-electric compact calculator, which was based on relay technology. In 1974, Casio released their first digital wristwatch, called the CASIOTRON. It was the first wristwatch in the world to include an automatic calendar function. In 1977, they released a retro-futuristic wristwatch, called the F100. The watch was one of the first wristwatches in the world to be made primarily out of

resin A resin is a solid or highly viscous liquid that can be converted into a polymer. Resins may be biological or synthetic in origin, but are typically harvested from plants. Resins are mixtures of organic compounds, predominantly terpenes. Commo ...

, making it very light compared to other companies' heavy metal-made watches and enabling future Casio watches to enter

mass production Mass production, also known as mass production, series production, series manufacture, or continuous production, is the production of substantial amounts of standardized products in a constant flow, including and especially on assembly lines ...

more easily. In 1989, Casio released another important wristwatch; the F-91W, the most sold wristwatch in the world with an annual production of 3 million units. In the 1980s, Casio's budget electronic instruments and its line of affordable home electronic musical keyboard instruments became popular. The company also became well known for the wide variety and innovation of its wristwatches. It was one of the earliest manufacturers of quartz watches, both digital and analog. It also began selling

calculator watch A calculator watch is a digital watch with a built-in calculator, usually including buttons on the watch face. Calculator watches were first introduced in the 1970s and continue to be produced, despite falling from their peak popularity duri ...

es during this time. Casio also introduced one of the first watches that could display the time in many different

time zone A time zone is an area which observes a uniform standard time for legal, Commerce, commercial and social purposes. Time zones tend to follow the boundaries between Country, countries and their Administrative division, subdivisions instead of ...

s of the world and with features like recording temperature, atmospheric-pressure and altitude. In the later years, Casio's wristwatches were fitted with receivers to synchronise with radio towers around the world and

Global Positioning System The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a satellite-based hyperbolic navigation system owned by the United States Space Force and operated by Mission Delta 31. It is one of the global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) that provide ge ...

for timekeeping accuracy. A number of notable digital camera innovations have also been made by Casio, including the QV-10, the first consumer digital camera with a

liquid-crystal display A liquid-crystal display (LCD) is a flat-panel display or other Electro-optic modulator, electronically modulated optical device that uses the light-modulating properties of liquid crystals combined with polarizers to display information. Liq ...

(LCD) on the back (developed by a team led by Hiroyuki Suetaka in 1995), the first consumer three-megapixel camera, the first true ultra-compact model, and the first digital camera to incorporate ceramic lens technology, using Lumicera. In July 2019, the company's UK arm, Casio Electronics Co. Ltd, was fined £3.7 million after admitting

resale price maintenance Resale price maintenance (RPM) or, occasionally, retail price maintenance is the practice whereby a manufacturer and its distribution (marketing), distributors agree that the distributors will sell the manufacturer's product at certain prices (re ...

(a form of price-fixing) on their line of digital keyboards and digital pianos between 2013 and 2018, in breach of the United Kingdom's Competition Act 1998.

Products

Casio's products include

watch A watch is a timepiece carried or worn by a person. It is designed to maintain a consistent movement despite the motions caused by the person's activities. A wristwatch is worn around the wrist, attached by a watch strap or another type of ...

es, calculators, electronic keyboards and other digital products such as

s ( Exilim series), film cameras,

cash register A cash register, sometimes called a till or automated money handling system, is a mechanical or electronic device for registering and calculating transactions at a point of sale. It is usually attached to a Cash register#Cash drawer, drawer fo ...

laptop A laptop computer or notebook computer, also known as a laptop or notebook, is a small, portable personal computer (PC). Laptops typically have a Clamshell design, clamshell form factor (design), form factor with a flat-panel computer scree ...

s and sub-notebook computers,

s, PDAs (E-Data Bank), electronic dictionaries, digital diaries (early PDAs),

electronic games ''Electronic Games'' was the first dedicated video game magazine published in the United States and ran from October 15, 1981, to 1997 under different titles. It was co-founded by Bill Kunkel, Joyce Worley, and Arnie Katz. History The h ...

personal computer A personal computer, commonly referred to as PC or computer, is a computer designed for individual use. It is typically used for tasks such as Word processor, word processing, web browser, internet browsing, email, multimedia playback, and PC ...

s (e.g. FP-1000, FP-200), computer printers,

clock A clock or chronometer is a device that measures and displays time. The clock is one of the oldest Invention, human inventions, meeting the need to measure intervals of time shorter than the natural units such as the day, the lunar month, a ...

s, and portable televisions. In the 1970s and 80s, Casio was best known for its electronic (including scientific) calculators, electronic musical instruments and affordable digital watches incorporating innovative technology. Today, Casio is most commonly known for making durable and reliable electronic products.Review
Casio:History
The G-Shock range of shock-resistant watches is also very popular, with the original 1983 G-Shock DW-5000C being highly sought-after by collectors. The scientific calculators made by Casio especially the CLASSWIZ series of calculators are known for being affordable while incorporating a host of functions as compared to their competitors. Casio also makes products for local markets, including "Prayer Compass" watch series designed to help Muslims pray on time and in the right direction.

Gallery

File:Casio EX-word XD-Z6500 in 201901 003.jpg, EX-word XD-Z6500 Electronic dictionary File:Cassiopeia 26d06.jpg, Cassiopeia PDA File:Casio Exilim ZR800 Front B1107.jpg, ZR800

Digital camera A digital camera, also called a digicam, is a camera that captures photographs in Digital data storage, digital memory. Most cameras produced today are digital, largely replacing those that capture images on photographic film or film stock. Dig ...

File:Casio Exilim EX-S1 and EX-S600.jpg, EX-S1 and EX-S600 Digital cameras File:Au W63CA Titanium Gold 1.jpg, W63CA

Mobile phone A mobile phone or cell phone is a portable telephone that allows users to make and receive calls over a radio frequency link while moving within a designated telephone service area, unlike fixed-location phones ( landline phones). This rad ...

File:Casiofx-122S.jpg, V.P.A.M. fx-122S Scientific calculator File:Casio fx-102 (1976).jpg, fx-102 (1976) File:Casio calculator JS-20WK in 201901 002.jpg, JF-20WK premium desk calculator File:Casio-fx115ES-5564.jpg, fx-115ES Scientific calculator with Natural Display File:FC-100V.jpg, FC-100V financial calculator File:Casio QL-10 - combination of pocket calculator and cigarette lighter, circa 1978.jpg, QL-10 Pocket calculator with a built in cigarette lighter File:Casio FX-700P.JPG, Casio FX-700P programmable calculator File:Casio fx-7000G FullLength.JPG, fx-7000G, the first

graphing calculator Graphing Calculator may refer to: * Graphing calculators, calculators that are able to display and/or analyze mathematical function graphs * NuCalc, a computer software program able to perform many graphing calculator functions * Grapher, th ...

File:Casio message mode examen.jpg, FX CP-400 Classpad colour touchscreen calculator File:Casio Calculator with external memory (16431858006).jpg, PB-110 Databank calculator with external tape recorder dock File:Kassensystem CASIO.jpg, V-R200 point of sale system File:CASIO Label Printer.JPG, KL-60 Label Printer File:Casio PB-770 IMG 4272.jpg, PB-770 pocket computer, with FA-11 extension dock File:Casio Digital Diary SF-R20 open.JPG, SF-R20 Digital Diary (early PDA) File:Watch and calculator.jpg, TS-150 watch (left) and FX-991EX scientific calculator (right) File:Casio Sport outgear SGW-400HD-1BV.jpg, Casio Sport OutGear SGW-400HD-1BV File:Casio F-91W 5051.jpg, F-91W Digital watch File:Casio mtp4700.jpg, MTP 4700 - Pilot watch File:Casio efa120.jpg, EFA 120 - Edifice watch File:Casio W-96H-4A2V.jpg, W-96H Digital watch File:Casio wmp1 docking station.JPG, WMP1 portable MP3 watch File:Wikipedia-Casio-G-Shock-Edelstahl-800.jpg, GMW-B5000 A G-Shock watch with full metal construction File:Casio EQW M 1000 d.jpg, Edifice EQW-M1000 multi-function analog watch File:Edifice ECB-800D-1A.jpg, Edifice ECB-800D-1A File:Casio Edifice EQB-1100D-1A wrist watch.jpg, Edifice EQB-1100D-1A File:CASIO ATC-1100 (2058507659).jpg, ATC-1100 Triple Sensor Watch File:Casio PRW-1000TJ 01.JPG, Pro Trek PRW-1000TJ Triple Sensor Watch in compass mode File:Twincept.jpg, ProTrek PRT-505 "TwinCept" watch File:2019120304 Casio ProTrek PRW 60Y-1AER display stopwatch 2019.jpg, PRW-60Y ProTrek triple sensor ana-digi watch with tough movement technology File:Casio G-Shock Master of G Rangeman GW-9400J-1JF.jpg, G-Shock GW9400 Rangeman watch with triple sensors and tough solar technology File:Casio Tough Solar Wave Ceptor.jpg, Tough Solar "Wave Ceptor" watch File:Casio vl tone.jpg, VL-Tone VL-1 File:Casio SK-1.jpg, Sampletone SK-1 File:Casiotone 201.jpg, Casiotone 201 File:Casio CZ-1.jpg, CZ-1 digital synthesizer File:Casio az1.jpg, AZ-1 keytar File:Casio PG-380 synth guitar.jpg, PG-380 MIDI Guitar File:CASIO DH-800.jpg, DH-800 Digital Horn File:Casio CTK-496 keyboard.jpg, CTK-496 home keyboard File:Casio WK-200 details 1.jpg, WK-200 workstation keyboard File:Casio Privia PX-130.jpg, Privia PX-130 digital piano File:Casio Celviano AP620.jpg, Celviano AP-620 File:Casio Privia PX-330.jpg, Privia PX-330

Notes

References

External links